Xiao Luan was very persistent about the peachwood sword.
It had been diligently managing the Beast Garden and studying ways to transform, all because Lin Xiao had promised it a peachwood sword.
After realizing that advancing its cultivation was far off, it turned its attention to mastering transformation spells.
To prevent Lin Xiao from accusing it of trickery, Xiao Luan painstakingly refined a more sophisticated transformation technique.
This level of dedication was not something that Lin Xiao could easily brush aside, not even with the gift of the Mysterious Azure Flame.
Unable to refuse, Lin Xiao relented. "Alright, in a few days, I'll go pick a branch from the peach tree and craft a peachwood sword for you."
"Go now!" Xiao Luan wasn't budging.
It had spent so much time mastering the transformation technique, and yet Lin Xiao hadn't even saved it a single peachwood sword. It simply couldn't trust Lin Xiao's vague promise of "in a few days."
"Alright, alright, I'll go right now." Children, whether human or chicken, can't be strung along with empty promises forever. If Lin Xiao didn't follow through now, he'd lose credibility. Sighing, he gave in and headed toward the Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Tree.
The sect was bustling with activity, and the area around the Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Tree was deserted. As soon as Lin Xiao arrived, Xiao Luan followed closely behind.
"That branch, I want that one!" Xiao Luan pointed to a particularly beautiful branch on the tree.
Lin Xiao glanced up and chuckled. This little chicken sure had an eye for beauty. The branch Xiao Luan had chosen was perfect—balanced and adorned with several flowers, its peach leaves a vibrant green, looking quite stunning.
"That one? No way. It won't make a good sword," Lin Xiao said, waving dismissively. Instead, he snapped off an older, leafless branch from the edge of the tree. "This one is perfect. Let's use this to make your peachwood sword."
Without waiting for Xiao Luan's reaction, Lin Xiao turned and swiftly headed back to the Artifact Refining Hall.
Xiao Luan: …
Watching Lin Xiao rush off, Xiao Luan glanced back at the lovely branch it had chosen.
Oh well, Lin Xiao said the other branch would make a better sword, so it must be true.
It was about to get its peachwood sword!
Excited, Xiao Luan's little beady eyes squinted with joy, and it flapped its wings happily.
"Scoundrel."
The sudden voice startled Xiao Luan, interrupting its moment of happiness.
The voice was ethereal, like the clear tone of a child.
Xiao Luan looked around but saw no one. Even its spiritual sense didn't detect anyone nearby.
And the voice was unfamiliar.
"Huh?" Xiao Luan tilted its head in confusion.
"Fool."
The voice rang out again.
This time, Xiao Luan thought it had located the source.
Its gaze shifted to the quietly swaying Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Tree in the cold wind.
"Was it you speaking?" Xiao Luan asked.
But the voice didn't respond.
Xiao Luan waited a long while, but it didn't hear anything more. It looked around the base of the tree, even circled it once, but found nothing unusual.
Finally, Xiao Luan, somewhat frustrated, squatted down and generously deposited two splats of spirit fertilizer beneath the tree before leaving, satisfied.
Unaware of what had just transpired, Lin Xiao had already returned to his refining room in the Artifact Refining Hall. He tossed the branch he had picked and some spirit stones into his item synthesizer.
There was no way he was going to craft the sword himself. Not only would the system's creation be of much higher quality, but he could also barely produce a basic peachwood sword. At most, it would be a low-level magical artifact, while the system-generated sword was labeled the "Universal Peachwood Sword," with impressive growth potential...
And besides, he didn't have the time. He was buried in work fulfilling orders, and as the sect master, he had to make time for cultivation and ensure his own advancement. Even though Elder Liao had successfully ascended to the Nascent Soul stage, no sect would ever complain about having too much power.
In the next moment, a brand-new peachwood sword appeared in Lin Xiao's private storage.
Meanwhile, Xiao Luan sat waiting eagerly outside the Artifact Refining Hall. Even when other disciples invited it to come in and rest, it simply shook its head, sitting quietly outside.
When Lin Xiao emerged, he saw Xiao Luan crouching at the door like a broody hen.
"Xiao Luan, are you laying eggs?"
"No, how would I lay eggs? Do you know how?" Xiao Luan blinked, clearly puzzled.
Lin Xiao: …
He had just been asked by a chicken how to lay eggs.
"Here's your peachwood sword. Take it." Lin Xiao handed over the sword.
Xiao Luan's eyes lit up, and it quickly extended its left wing to take the sword. But then it paused, remembering something. It immediately transformed the wing into a small hand before solemnly accepting the peachwood sword from Lin Xiao.
Once it had the sword, Xiao Luan gazed at it lovingly. Transforming its right wing into another small hand, it held the sword reverently, laughing joyfully, "Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck."
Seeing Xiao Luan's happiness, Lin Xiao's heart softened. Children, even little chickens, were easy to please—a simple peachwood sword was enough to make them happy.
At that moment, Lin Xiao's communication ring signaled an incoming message.
"Xiao Luan, go ahead and play with your new sword. I've got something to take care of," Lin Xiao said as he prepared to head back inside.
"Cluck cluck, goodbye!" Xiao Luan, now engrossed in its new peachwood sword, waved its wing-hand vaguely in Lin Xiao's direction before happily heading off with its new treasure.
Lin Xiao activated his communication ring.
"Sect Master, I have something important to discuss," came He Yi's voice, sounding unusually serious. "Lately, I've been observing the sect's activities, and it seems we're planning to heavily promote ourselves and attract commerce from the entire mortal realm to our Shuishui City trading center. Am I right?"
While these future plans hadn't been fully disclosed in the sect's monthly reports, all the sect's actions and the developments surrounding Shuishui City had been detailed, with nothing hidden. Thus, it wasn't hard to deduce the direction the sect was heading.
Lin Xiao replied, "Yes, that's the plan. Why? Is there a problem?"
He Yi took a deep breath before saying, "Sect Master, are you aware of why there hasn't been a single Nascent Soul stage cultivator in the mortal realm for so many years? And do you know about the control certain organizations from the cultivation world exert over the mortal realm's supply of resources?"
Hearing this, Lin Xiao wasn't entirely surprised.
Over the past few years, his understanding of the mortal realm had deepened significantly. He was well aware of the struggles the mortal realm had faced and had long questioned why the gap between the mortal realm and the cultivation world was so vast.
While it was true that the mortal realm had far less spiritual energy than the cultivation world, its cultivators weren't completely destitute. Yet, the cultivation resources available to them were incredibly scarce.
It didn't make sense. The market in the mortal realm wasn't so small as to be insignificant, yet the cultivation world still sent goods here—albeit at exorbitant prices. Mortal cultivators had to grit their teeth and spend all they had to purchase essential items. Something about this setup felt deeply wrong.